The present invention is directed to a cutting tool for cutting fibrous compressible material, such as a sheet of fiberglass insulation. Cutting this type of material is a very difficult and awkward task even for professional installers of this material. The material can be cut with a large pair of scissors but this procedure is very time consuming. The conventional utility knife is usually the cutting tool of choice by most professionals. Due to the looseness and compressibility of the material, several passes of the knife are usually required to cut the material. An elongated straight edged tool is usually used to compress the fiber sheet of material and to guide the knife along a predetermined line of cutting. However, even this procedure is less than satisfactory. Care must be used to avoid hitting the guide edge of the compressing tool with the blade of the utility knife which increases the cutting time. Although the fibrous material is compressed along the guide edge of the compressing tool, the fibrous material extends upwardly abruptly from the guide edge of the compressing tool, thereby making it difficult to cut the fibrous material. Also, since the operator has one hand on the compressing tool and one hand on the utility knife, he or she is unable to grasp the portion of the fibrous material which is being cut off and to prevent it from being dragged forwardly by the knife and interfering with the execution of a smooth, clean cut. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art insulation cutting tools have been obviated by the present invention.
It is, therefore, a principle object of the invention to provide a cutting tool for fibrous compressible material which does not require the use of any other tool.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a cutting tool for fibrous compressible material which simultaneously compresses and cuts the material.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a cutting tool for fibrous compressible material which simultaneously compresses and cuts the material and which utilizes a conventional utility knife.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool for fibrous compressible material which simultaneously compresses and cuts the material and which can be actuated with one hand so that the other hand of the operator can be used to hold the material which is being cut off or otherwise used to assist in the cutting operation.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a cutting tool for fibrous compressible material which is simple in construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture, in which is capable of a long life of useful service.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.